Feed-roller apparatus for rolling-mills



Hi. A. LEWIS. FEED ROLLER APPARATUS FOTROLLING M|LL$= rue mun FILED061,23. 1919.

ZSHEETSSHEET FIG. 1

Patbnted oath 26,1920.

H. A. LEWIS. FEED ROLLEII APPARATUS FOR ROLLING MILLS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. I9I9.

Pamlltfid 0013. 26, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHET 2.

FIG. 4

' UNITED STATES HARRY A. LEWIS, 0F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-ROLLER APPARATUS FOR ROLLING-MILLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

Application filed October 23, 1919. Serial No. 332,605.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IIARRY A. LEWIS, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Norristown, in the countyof Montgomery and Statejof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and-usefulImprovement in Feed- Roller Apparatus for Bolling-Hills; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to feeding apparatus for rolling mills.

One object of my invention is to provide a simple and eiiicient form offeeding apparatus for rolling mills in which the metal being rolled isautomatically turned and delivered to the receiving side of the rollsor, inthe case of a three-high mill, is delivered to the upperpass.

Another object of my invention is to provide apparatus for re-rollingsheets and plates in which the scale which forms upon the metal duringthe rolling process is effectively removed, this result beingaccomplished by inverting the metal between successive reductions andthereby bending the metal alternately in opposite directions.

To these ends my invention comprises the novel features hereinafter setforth and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan new of a rolling mill showing myinyention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; and Flg. 4 shows myinvention as applied to a three-high mill.

In the drawing the numeral 2 designates suitable housings of a two-highmill in which the rolls 3 are mounted in the ordinary manner and adaptedto be driven in opposite directions, by suitable mechanism, as shown bythe arrows on Flg. 2.

In front, of the rolls is an ordinary rollertable 4 provided with thefeed-rollers 5, said feed-rollers being driven in any suitable way, suchas by the bevel-gears 6 which are engaged by the bevel-gears 7 on theouter driven-shaft 8. In this manner the feed-rollers 5 are driven inthe direction of the arrows on Fig. 2, so that the metal depositedthereon is fed to the pass between the rolls 3.

In the rear of the housings 2 is located the return feed mechanism,which I will now describe.

Mounted on a frame 9 is a curved guide 10 provided at intervals withidle-rollers 11. In front of the curved guide 10 and at a higherelevation in the frame 9 is a like curved guide 12 with idle-rollers 13.

These curved guides 10 and 12 form the supports for the feed-member orcage 11 which has the annular flanges 15 and 16 which engage the groovedanti-friction rollers 11 and 13, respectively, of the curved frames 10and 12.

An inwardly tapering frame 17 is se cured within the cage 14 and saidframe carries upper and lower sets of idle rollers 18 and 19,respectively. The sets of rollers 18 and 19 form inclined guide-ways'25and 26, which are adapted to receive the sheet or other metal beingworked, and stopplates 20 are provided to prevent the sheet or otherobject being rolled from sliding out of the outer end of the cage. Theidle rollers in each set may be arranged for adjustment toward and fromeach other in any-desired way, in order to provide for handling sheetsand plates of various thicknesses.

A suitable guide 21 is provided to direct the sheet between the rollers18 or 19 according to which set is in the lowermost position.

Sideguides 30 may also be provided for preventing the material fromslipping out of the cage while the cage is being revolved. These guidesma be arranged for adjust ment in any desired way, to accommodate sheetsor plates of different widths.

A circular rack 22 is formed on the feeding member or cage 14 and saidrack is engaged by the pinion 23 which is mounted on the shaft 24. Inthis manner rotary movement is imparted to the cage 14.

Nhen my invention is employed in conneetion with a two-high mill, thesheet 28 or other meetal object to be rolled is delivered upon thefeed-rollers 5, and is carried by said feed-rollers into thepass betweenthe rolls 3. The sheet is delivered by the rolls 3 through the guides 21to the' 2 and in this position the plate is delivered 7 between therollers 19, being supported on the lower set of said rollers. hestopplate 20 keeps the plate from sliding from the rollers. \Vhen thesheet ha been delivered in this manner to the cage, power is applied torotate said cage through the driven pinion -23 engaging the rack 22,whereupon said cage is rotated and the sheet is carried up to theposition indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2, whereupon by its own weight,it slides down the rollers over the guide roll 31 and over the top rollof the mill, whence it drops upon the feedrolls 5 in position to beagain passed through the rolls 3. In this manner, after each pass, thesheet is reversed so that that which was the bottom side in passingthrough the rolls becomes the top side upon the turning of the cage.This reversing of the sheet each time permits the. scale to drop off andthe bending of the sheets alternately in opposite directions in therolls also aids in dislodging the scale. Consequently a better surfaceis obtained, and so much scale does not adhere to the rolls.

In this manner, the sheet is delivered through the rolls and isautomatically reversed and delivered back to the feed side of the rollwithout manual labor, which greatly facilitates and increases therolling and reduces the cost of production.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated my invention 1n connection with athree-high mill where the sheet, on its being reversed in the cage. isdelivered by the pinch feed-rollers 27 baclt through the upper pass ofthe mill to be delivered" on the feed-table, to be again passed throughthe lower pass as in the ordinary operation of a threehigh mill.

The cage 14 may be given its step-by-step rotation, always in the samedirection. or it may, if desired. be oscillated, first in one directionand then in the other. As a further modification, more than two sets ofthe blank-holding guides 18 and 19 may be provided, the guides orholders in every case being equally spaced around the periphery of thecage 14, and the step-by-step rotation of the cage 14: being so adjustedthat each step brings the next empty holder into position to receive asheet and brings the next full holder into position to discharge itssheet.

Vhile I have illustrated my invention in connection with the rolling ofa sheet of metal it is apparent that it may be employed for the rollingof other shapes and I do not wish to limit myself in that manner to anyparticular form of material to be rolled.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of means for receiving the material from the rolls, means for invertingthe material laterally with respect to the direction of movement of thematerial through the rolls and for moving the said material to anotherlevel, and means for "returning the "material for rerolling.

2. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of means for receiving the material from the rolls, means for invertingthe material laterally with respect to the direction of movement of thematerial through the rolls and for lifting the said material to a higherlevel, and means for returning the material for re-rolling.

3. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of means for receiving the material from the rolls. means for invertingthe material and moving the same to another level, and means forreturning the material by its own gravity for rerolling.

4. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with-the rolls,of means for receiving the material from the rolls, means for invertingthe material and lifting the same to a higher level, and means forreturning the material by its own gravity for re-rolling.

In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls, ofa member revoluble across the direction of movement of the materialthrough the rolls, the said member having oppositely arranged sup portsto receive the material from the rolls. whereby when'said member isrotated the material is inverted and moved to a different level.

6. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of a member revoluble across the direction of movement of the materialthrough the rolls, the said member having oppositely arranged compart-100 ments to receive the material from the rolls, whereby when saidmember is rotated the material is inverted and raised to a higher level.

7. In feed mechanism for rolling mills,

the combination with the rolls, of a rotary member having oppositelyarranged inclined supports to receive the material from the rolls,whereby when said member is rotated the material is inverted andelevated to a higher level.

8. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of a rotary member With oppositely arranged compartments formed of idlerollers arranged on an incline, whereby when said member is' rotated thematerial received between said rollers is inverted and lifted to ahigher level.

9. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of a rotatable work-handling cage having its axis of r0- tationperpendicular to the plane of the axis of rotation of said rolls, and aworkholder carried by said cage and adapted to receive material from therolls.

10. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of an annular cage rotatable on an axis substantially perpendicular tothe plane of the axis of rotation of said rolls, anti-friction rollersfor 180 rotatably supporting said cage, and a plurality of work-holdersequally spaced within said cage and adapted to receive material from therolls.

11. In feed mechanism for rolling mills, the combination with the rolls,of a flaring rotatable work-holding cage disposed with its smaller endadjacent to said rolls plurality of work-holders carried by the saidcage at an outward inclination with respect to said rolls and adapted toreceive material therefrom.

12. A rolling mill comprising a set of reducing rolls, positivelyactuated means for feeding material to the rolls, a holder for receivingmaterial from said rolls, and means for rotating said holder on an axissubstantially perpendicular to the plane of the axis of rotation of saidrolls to invert the material and for returning thematerial, anddelivering it again to said feeding means, whereby the material may bepassed through the rolls a plurality of. times.

13. A rolling mill comprising a set of reducing rolls, a feed tableprovided with positively driven rollers for feeding material.

to said rolls, a rotatable cage disposed adj aand a' cent to said rollsand rotatable on an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of theaxis of rotation of said rolls, holders carried by said cage forreceiving material from said rolls, and means for returning saidmaterial from said holder to said feed table,

whereby the material may be passed through the rolls a plurality oftimes.

14. Work-holding apparatus comprising a work-holder, means fordelivering an article to said holder, and means for revolving saidholder on an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the axisof rotation of the said rolls and for delivering said article therefrom.

15. Work-holding apparatus comprising a Work-holder, means fordelivering a fiat article to said holder, and means for revolving saidholder on an axis substantially perpendicular to the planeof the axis ofrotation of the said rolls to invert said article;

In testimony whereof I, the said HARRY A. LEWIs, have hereunto set 111hand.

HAR Y A. LEWIS. Witnesses: I

AARON S. SWARTZ, J12, ELIZABETH R. FORREST.

